Many electronic devices use processors (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU)) and a memory to perform various functions. For example, embedded processors in certain routers may be responsible for data-plane processing tasks and for network traffic flows (propagating through the routers). The processors may facilitate baseline packet routing operations, including Layer 2 and Layer 3 forwarding, quality-of-service (QoS) classification, policing and shaping, security access control lists (ACLs), and loadbalancing. Due to high consumer demand, there is a push to pack more functionalities into electronic devices, while concurrently, device sizes are either remaining constant or becoming smaller.
As more functionalities are packed into smaller footprints, there is a demand for more efficient and reliable processors that can facilitate the myriad functionalities of the electronic device. For example, certain processors can consolidate a multitude of customized packet-processor cores (e.g., running at 900 MHz to 1.2 GHz) into a single piece of silicon, and thereby, reducing the use of external service blades inside the router. Such high performance processors may benefit from efficient and robust instruction set architectures for reliable system operations.